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Summer Sox

A simple lacy pattern in a how-to make socks book and viola!  Another pair of socks.

Of course I got the yarn at Ewe Knit.

  

 

 

 

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Light-weight shawl with bumpy yarn

I went into Ewe Knit one day and saw Lin using this yarn, and I had to have it.  The yarn is Bahamas from Ironstone Yarn.  The fibers are lightweight and made a bouncy, airy shawl.  I used Lin’s twisted drop-stitch pattern. 

The main strand of yarn is twisted with little bunches of thread, which gives the strands a shimmer and creates texture.  

These little bundles of thread create a lovely effect, although they kind of slow down pulling the yarn through your fingers.  Also, I found it was a challenge to weave in the ends of this yarn.  I tried both a tapestry needle and a crochet hook before I finally used my fingers to weave in the strands without tangling them.

I think the small shawl is a nice complement to the skirt I knitted. 

I also made a plain little scarf with the left over yarn, which was too pretty to put away on the shelf. 

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My Yarn, January 2011

This is most of my yarn, all crammed onto one bookshelf.  It’s a lot of yarn to me, but for some reason, it doesn’t look like much in this photo. 

 

Acrylics and other man-made fibers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cottons

 

 

 

 

Cotton, wool, cotton, mohair, sugar cane and bamboo.

 

Wool, mostly from sheep.  Also includes alpaca, possum and bison.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nylon.

 

 

 

 

 

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Dish Cloths

Dish cloths are fun and easy projects.  It takes only a couple of hours to made one.  I made these for a Christmas gift.  I used yarns I had in my stash, which was a good use of some odd colors I’m not sure I would otherwise use.  All of the cloths are made from 100% cotton of various brands.  I used size 7 needles.  I didn’t block the dish cloths because they are meant to be used.

Cherries

Frog

Butterfly

 

Tulip

Stripes

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Socks for my Daughter

Sometime in November I decided to try to made some socks for my daughter for Christmas.  I chose the most fabulous yarn from my stash and downloaded a beautiful (free) pattern from Ravelry.  The pattern is called Maidenhair Fern.  The yarn is an Indie Dye Superwash wool. 

 

I wish I had taken some pics of the socks in progress because once I gave them to my daughter, she put them on and would NOT take them off.  It helped that she happened to be wearing a sweater that went with the socks.

I was allowed to take a few photos of her feet as she lounged on the chaise in front of the Christmas fire, but that was it.  Can you tell she’s an only child?  Spoiled sweet, however, not spoiled rotten.

This pattern worked up beautifully.  It was just the right challenge level for me.  I had made socks before, but only plain ones.  Below you can see the stitch detail.

 

Some notes and thoughts about sock-making from an amateur sock-maker:

The first time I made socks, I completed the first one in a day.  I was so proud of myself.  I thought I had sock-making down pat.  Then I struggled with the second sock simply because – mistakenly – I thought I knew exactly what to do.  I’ve had the same problem with almost every pair of socks I’ve made since, including these.  I would have had these socks done in a few days if I hadn’t made several silly mistakes.  I call it ‘sock arrogance.’  So, I’ve learned when I reach the point where I think I can proceed without looking at the pattern, that’s when I need to check myself and carefully review what I really need to do next. 

Also, I’ve learned to use lifelines on socks.  A lifeline is an easy trick, but I just learned it.  You use a needle and pull a piece of thread (or yarn) through the stitches on the needles.  (I prefer to use thread for sock lifelines because it’s best if the lifeline is lighter weight than the yarn of the project.)  If you have to take out rows further along in the project, that piece of thread allows you to unravel to the lifeline and then easily slip that row of stitches back on the needles.  It may not save your life, but it can save the life of your project!  A lifeline works great not only on socks but any project, especially those with complicated lace.

I’ve completed another pair of socks since these (I’ll post them soon), and made only a few errors.  Very encouraging!  And I’ve had the courage to start  yet another pair of socks.   I couldn’t resist the yarn when I saw it at Ewe Knit.  Nothing new about that!  Of course I’ll be posting the newest socks, too, when they’re done.

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Girls’ Scarves

Three little scarves for three little girls. 

I created these three scarves from yarns I had in my stash.  I made them for my co-worker Vicki to give to her granddaughters Ali, Gracie and Brooklyn.  They are all sweet girls who bring lots of joy to their grandma and the rest of their family.  Merry Christmas girls!

The scarves are worked in garter stitch, with twelve stitches cast on and made on size 10 1/2 needles.  They are each a little over three feet long, just right to snuggle little girls’ necks.

This fuzzy purple scarf is made from JoAnn Gem yarn.  It’s acrylic with some wool content.  The specks of color do look a little like gems and certainly add interest and extra fuzziness!

For the green and pink scarves I used two acrylic yarns held together: basic worsted weight yarns and ladder yarns.  Ladder yarn doesn’t knit too well on its own, but it really adds character and interest to otherwise ordinary solid color yarn.

The fringe for the green and pink scarves is made from the ladder yarn alone.  I got the fringe idea from a scarf I saw at Ewe Knit. 

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Mohair Sweater with Gifted Yarn

My first knitted sweater, and it even LOOKS like a sweater!  I found this simple pattern in Stitch ‘n Bitch.  The original pattern had bell sleeves, so I modified it a little to make the sleeves straight.  It’s a nice length and has slits in the sides and a garter stitch border around the bottom for style and fit.  The neck has crocheted trim.

I didn’t have enough of the beautiful mohair yarn to make sleeves, so I used some baby yarn I had in my stash.  I would have liked it better if the whole sweater could have been mohair, but I think it looks good with the substitute yarn for the sleeves. 

I got this special yarn from a special friend who got it from someone else..and so on.  There’s no way of knowing the original owner. 

Take a close look at the label.  There’s no date on it anywhere.  Mohair for $1.69 at Sears…that has to be from a long time ago.  It’s been sitting somewhere for years, waiting to be a sweater.

This is the back of the sweater, the first piece I made.  So soft and pretty.

I have to admit I had some help with this project.  Here’s my helper Isaac trying to steal a nap.  You can see I couldn’t have completed the sweater without him!  Every time I set it down, he tried to claim it, even though his own fluffy blanket was nearby.

Isaac is a four-year-old, three pound Chihuahua.  Unlike most of his kind, he is a very mellow guy.  He hardly ever barks, and he’s VERY friendly.  I think he’s the best dog ever.  He’s a great companion, devoted, playful and affectionate.

  

It’s always amazing how the mattress stitch seams disappear into the work.  You can see the needle still attached at the slit at the bottom of the sweater.

When I blocked the sweater, I shaped the waist to make it more flattering.  Overall, I’m pleased with the project.  As usual, I learn a lot and gained skills to improve my knitting and my future projects.

 

For more about the construction of this sweater and photos of the project in process, see the craft journal post I’m Knot Knitting today dated 10/25/10.

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Wavy Scarf #2

See Wavy Scarf #1 for details about this yarn and some info about the pattern book.  This scarf is much the same only smaller and a different color way.  I used the yarn left from Wavy Scarf #1 in some of the wedges to make this one a little bit longer. 

 

I really like the way the scarf curves, and it almost seems as if the color changes of the yarn fit right into the pattern. 

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Himalayas Scarf

This wool Himalaya Yarn is simply luscious!  I saw Jordan making a scarf from it when I was at Ewe Knit last month.  Jordan was kind enough to jot down her pattern, and I bought the last two skeins of this color way.  It must have been Knit Night on October 28.  I don’t think I’d ever met Jordan before, and I really appreciate her generosity.

The yarn retained its loft even after I blocked it to shape it and improve the drape.    Above is after blocking, below is before blocking.

 

Stitch detail and close up of of the beautiful thick-and-thin wool yarn.  You can tell from some of my recent projects, I’ve grown very fond of this green and purple color combination. 

        

 

I needle-felted two small buttons and joined them to hold the scarf in place when it’s being worn.

Below are the buttons before I attached them to the scarf.  Needle felting is done with a barbed needle that joins the fibers.  It’s fun and easy, although takes some time as do other methods of felting. 

The scarf used one skein, and I used the other to knit a small bag to felt.  I’ll post more about the bag once I’ve sewn it up and felted it.  It doesn’t look like much yet.

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